At present, beds or similar devices are used to support the patient during radiography. Such beds consist of a flat structure that defines the supporting surface on which the patient is placed, and means for anchoring the flat structure to a radiological imaging device. With such beds, the patient, in particular, the animal, is placed on the bed so as to assume the correct position and so that the region of interest for acquiring an image is inside the examination area, that is to say, between the sensor and the source. The patient is blocked in this position by means of belts or straps to prevent it from moving and thus not permitting the correct acquisition of the image of the region of interest. Note that, to prevent such movements, the animal is often sedated.
The prior art described above has several significant drawbacks.
A first important drawback lies in the fact that with such beds, arranging the animal in the correct position is a complicated and laborious process. This problem is particularly evident in the case of horses or other large animals that are difficult to place on the bed.
Another important drawback is that since the image must be acquired with the animal lying down, this limits the possibility of seeing defects and problems. This aspect is made worse by the fact that belts or straps are often used to prevent the animal from moving and, since these pass over the region of interest, they undermine the quality of the image acquired.
Another no less important drawback lies in the fact that the animal almost always has to be sedated.